Warner Bros Discovery hires former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as head of communications

Warner Bros. Discovery has hired former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The senior executive, who worked for the Obama administration, was hired to serve as head of communications for CEO David Zaslav:

The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery has hired Robert Gibbs as the new head of communications, six months after Zaslav's previous head of communications, Nathaniel Brown, left the company. According to Zaslav's statement at the time, he and Brown mutually decided that Brown should leave.

Now, David Zaslav is relying on Robert Gibbs, 53, to take over. This role is familiar territory for Gibbs, who as Variety reported, previously served as McDonald's global communications director from 2015 and 2019. Additionally, he recently worked as a partner at Bully Pulpit International, a communications agency that highlights his expertise in "corporate reputation, executive communications and crisis response."

However, Gibbs' most valuable asset for Warner Bros. Discovery is, without a doubt, his connections in Washington, D.C. Gibbs not only served as press secretary for former President Barack Obama between 2009 and 2011 but he also worked as press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

These political contacts will come in handy for Roberts Gibs who, upon starting his new position next Monday, will face significant challenges. These include the likely loss of NBA broadcast rights for TNT (cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery) as well as the from the company's Max platform alongside Disney+ and Hulu.